With the Best Intentions
by Golfbabe87
Summary: After her defeat of the Goblin King the life of Sarah Williams is anything but happily ever after. Interpreting her tales of the Labyrinth as a psychiatric disorder, Sarah's family sends her away. Years later she has left the world of Fairy Tales behind, but returning to her old life proves challenging. But can she ever truly leave the Labyrinth behind? And will it let her?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth. Or Jareth….sigh.

AN: The first two chapters are being updated/revised in preparation to work on WTBI for Camp NaNoWriMo July 2013. Please read and review. This story had been long overdue for updates. As always looking for a Beta.

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><p><strong>With the Best Intentions<strong>

"Hell isn't merely paved with good intentions; it's walled and roofed with them. Yes, and furnished too."  
>-Aldous Huxley<p>

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><p>A rented suburban vehicle pulled up in front of a large iron gate. It stalled briefly and a middle aged man rolled down his window to press a button on the intercom system. A few words were exchanged and with a resounding "beep" the gate slowly opened. A large building with various windows was apparent behind the strong metal and high walls. There were a number of security personnel dispersed along the grounds, making the beautiful courtyard filled with shrubbery less welcoming. The suburban proceeded through the grounds, and the couple looked around. The woman in the passenger seat looked worriedly to her husband. He returned her look with a succinct and shaky smile and firmly gripped her hand. As they drove through the grounds the rear view mirror clearly depicted the words <em>Danvers State Hospital<em> at the top of the gate.

The woman stepped out from the vehicle and pulled her jacket tight against her thin shoulders in an attempt to ward against the autumn chill. She was tall but thin. Her face would have been deemed beautiful if it had not been for the permanent downward angle of her lips, and cemented lines of worry around her eyes and forehead. She wore a casual but flattering dress of dark blue with sensible and fashionable high heels. Her husband took the keys from the cars ignition and rubbed his tired eyes. He released a deep and weary sigh that left a permanent sag to his shoulders.

The building towered over the courtyard and boasted elegant arches with nearly ten levels. It housed hundreds of occupants within the confines of its numerous walls compiled of bricks and barred windows. The couple closed the car door and walked along the cemented pavement to the front entrance of the hospital with every intention to enter despite the desire to turn and leave

Together, Robert and Irene Williams entered the main administration building.

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><p>She could hear them outside her room. The walls weren't that thick, or at least her weren't anymore. She had spent many long months in a blindingly white room with soft walls unable to scratch her own nose. It seemed like another life time. Then again her life was a compilation meaningless day's one after the other.<p>

The sound of people and of footsteps grew louder. She could not depict the click of high heels and the repeated squeaking of some form of tennis shoe. The voices were too far away to hear clearly, but there were multiple people she was certain. As they drew nearer the voices became more distinct.

And then she heard _them_.

Perhaps if she hadn't known they would be arriving today – or if she hadn't known about her impending release, the young woman might have been prone to some amount of anxiety. She wiggled her fingers in front of her face and watched as they moved in almost in slow motion. She frowned. As it turned out, she might be having some difficulty controlling them. It was also hard to think clearly. She rubbed her arm.

The culprit was obvious and was her worst and best friend, prescription medication. This, in all actuality, was more of a recent occurrence, at least this specific drug combination. Her dosage was known to make her ill, dazed and practically immobile until the effects wore off. Her health clinicians had been at their wits end in their efforts to prescribe her the proper dosage of the correct medication that would ultimately allow her a life in the real world. The real world, she scoffed. It hardly mattered any more, they didn't matter. Except for him. _He_ mattered.

But with her nerves and anxiety, she was grateful for the small sense of calm those little pills brought her, and even the normalcy of it. It wasn't everyday that your parents came to bring you home from a lengthy leave of absence from an institute for the mentally incapacitated.

Sarah Williams smiled despondently. Her fingers traced her lips and felt a little better knowing her facial features were cooperating.

Words were exchanged in the hall and the door to her quarters opened. Sarah's eyes regarded her parents for the first time in a year - the last time had been during Toby's winter break. She had been in Massachusetts's for a few years now. It was simply unacceptable that the Williams accommodate Sarah's delusions and move from their comfortable home in New Jersey. Sarah also suspected that they wanted to keep Toby away from her influence as much as possible.

She studied her guardians briefly as she stood up to great them. She noted they looked older.

"Oh Sarah honey!" Irene encased her in a firm embrace.

"You look so good." Sarah refrained from mentioning that she had actually lost a significant amount of weight from their last meeting. "Aren't you excited to come home? We have so many things to catch up on. Your Father and I have a big surprise for you when we get back. Isn't that right Robert?"

Sarah felt a wetness on her shoulder. Irene pulled away and attempted to clean her eyes and save her carefully applied makeup. Her father smiled and awkwardly hugged her.

"It's good to see you sweetheart," he said.

"I was thinking we might get an early lunch before we head to the airport since we have a few hours until our flight." Irene smiled hopefully.

"Are you hungry Sarah?" Robert asked.

She shrugged.

Dr. Sherman took that moment to intercede. "There are some excellent restaurants around the area." Dr. Sherman had been Sarah's main psychologist and physician during her stay. She wasn't a particularly good or bad person. Dr. Sherman had tried very hard to earn Sarah's trust and confidence. What she received was obedience and compliance. And even that took awhile, likely only due to a lack of options and feelings of complete hopelessness and despair on Sarah's part. It really had been her only option.

Sarah nodded to her parents and Dr. Sherman and picked up her bag of belongings from the bed. She followed them out into the hall and noted the presence of one burly security guard following behind them.

Perhaps they didn't feel as secure as they let on. Okay, so maybe she had bitten a few people in the past. Point taken.

Dr. Sherman and "big beefy security guy" accompanied them outside.

"Why don't you get inside Sarah, I just want to speak with your parents for a moment."

Sarah sat in the back seat of the car and tried to ignore her parents and her doctor. Did they honestly have to talk about her like she couldn't hear them? She might be crazy, but she sure wasn't stupid. Or, maybe she was. She sighed. It wasn't like she got to finish high school or anything.

"Now I can't stress how important it is that you go about your normal routines once you're home" Dr. Sherman began.

"But we can't just leave her home by herself." Irene looked nervously at Robert.

"It might be good for her to get a little quiet. You don't want to suffocate her. Sarah's been through a lot and you need to trust what we've all accomplished over the years. She's received the very best care at Danvers and has shown progress through a series of electroconculsive therapy, social skills training, cognitive behavior therapy, and personal psychological evaluations by myself and Dr. Morse, who is our leading psychologist and expert. You need to have faith. Sarah will be just fine at home you'll see."

Dr. Sherman paused. "You've been given prescriptions for her medication correct?"

"Yes we have." Robert held up the slips. He didn't what half of the stuff on the list was. Whatever it was it wasn't cheap. Did his daughter really need that much medication just to be a normal kid again?

"Good. Sarah's proven very successful with this combination, but you may need to remind her so she that keeps up with taking them everyday. Developing a routine and schedule is vital. I understand you've also set up a supported employment and GED classes for Sarah to complete online?"

Robert nodded. "We have a friend that owns a used book store that was willing to hire Sarah on the weekends."

"Excellent. Furthermore, I know we've spoken about this over the phone, but I want to suggest that you reconsider family counseling. I understand your reluctance to get your son Toby involved, but your daughter needs your support and understanding. Please think about it."

It was at this time that Sarah tuned them out.

There were a few more words exchanged before Irene and her Dad got in the car. Dr. Sherman waved at her and Sarah offered her a small smile and wave. The woman really had given her the best attentions. She had tried and had actually cared. If Sarah were her and had the PhD, she'd think she were crazy too. But her parents shouldn't have, they should have believed her, should have trusted her. Her Mother, her actual Mother should have at least wanted to talk to her before she was committed. She was their daughter and – no. Sarah closed her eyes briefly. It wouldn't do her any good to think like that, it really didn't matter anymore.

But she couldn't help thinking about it while Irene and Robert slept on the plane headed to New Jersey. Sarah had spent many nights in bed contemplating what it would like to be home. She was surprised to discover that after reuniting with them she felt very disconnected to the whole event. She was ambivalent to Irene's tears and her Father's watery smile.

But as they walked off the plane and packed their belongings into the back of a taxi her palms began to sweat. Sarah wiped her palms on her pants. Her predicament was beginning to settle within her mind.

Sarah was going home and she was finally going to see Toby.

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><p>AN:<p>

Danvers State Hospital is an actual institution and was known for inhumane treatments of its patients such as frontal lobotomy, excessive use of straightjackets, ECT, drugs etc. It was demolished recently.

Sarah was treated as manic depressive/bipolar and schizophrenic. The world has a negative history with the treatment of the mentally ill and the more we learn the better and more humane treatment is. Hopefully, one day many illnesses and diseases will be cured.

Thanks again for stopping by. Please review if you feel so inclined. I love constructive criticism, so if you see mistakes let me know. I am looking for a beta reader, so if you have experience, send me a message.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Jim Henson's Labyrinth.

AN: updated 6/13/13

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><p><strong>With The Best Intentions<strong>

Chapter 2

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

-Saint Francis of Assisi

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><p>He was only a boy; small and ignorant. He could not vote or drive a car. It shouldn't matter. His opinion should not intimidate her in the slightest. Sarah's impending reunion with her eight year-old step-brother should theoretically not faze her. A young boy wasn't exactly someone's worst nightmare. Sarah lightly closed her eyes and took a deep breathe in through her nose and slowly exhaled through her mouth attempting to calm her pounding heartbeat. She had spent a majority of the last four years disassociating from the world and those around her. It was easier that way; easier to believe that no one cared about you. It was easier because it hurt too much to fabricate that those who had loved her, who had raised her, could betray her like they had.<p>

So why was it, that she thought of Toby when they arrived in the airport and picked up Irene and Robert's (he hadn't been her Father for a long while now) luggage from baggage claim? And when they hailed a taxi at the crowded side curbs outside the terminal? Why was the very thought of seeing Toby sending her psyche into chaos and constitution in a panic?

Maybe it was because he was the last one. The last one who had truly smiled at her; who had trusted and put so much faith in her person-in her tales of the Labyrinth. Toby told Sarah that he loved her, and she believed him. He wrote her letters twice a month, or as much of a letter as a child could. They started out as drawings, or scribbles more accurately, but they were filled with warmth. Those letters had convinced her to hold on and ultimately to give up and let go of the Labyrinth, and it's King. Because if she didn't, Toby would forever be lost to her. Toby was the reason her mind had devised and conquered the fictional Labyrinth in the first place.

If there was anything Sarah wanted in life, it was Toby. The boy that in her insanity, she had fabricated another world in which she could be his hero. Sarah had battled goblins, faced the Bog of Eternal Stench, and raced against time in order to save him. She had created a controlled world where Toby played as the innocent victim of an evil plot from her Step-Mother. Irene, the evil Step-Mother who wanted nothing more than to permanently create a rift between siblings and cast the step-daughter out. In the end it had been Sarah who had stood triumphant and learned to love her brother unconditionally. She had grown into a young woman during her trials and was no longer a whining and self-centered girl. Even if Sarah had created the Labyrinth and its inhabitants, she had not fabricated her love for her step-brother, nor the deep affection and affinity he had for her.

And it was this familial bond of love that had been her down fall. At least, Sarah was pretty sure it was.

Sarah couldn't imagine how well Irene was taking her homecoming. Robert, Dad, she reminded herself to call him, apparently still had some affection towards her. Sarah thought it was more guilt than anything really. Guilt from sending her away. Sarah did not have the mind to care; she was more interested to how she could use his feelings of remorse to her advantage. She had learned not to trust over the last few years after the many disappointments and heartbreak. But Sarah had to be thankful to the man. He was the one who had ultimately wanted her to come home. And while Irene seemed happy as well, Sarah knew that Irene's jealousy and envy had still been present when she had gazed upon Sarah's gaunt face at Danver's. Sarah might have felt the same in her place, but she sure wouldn't have tried to get her step-daughter committed and shipped off. The catalyst for which still caused Sarah to smile to herself in secret pride. Toby's first words had been to call Sarah "Mama." As an infant Toby had always called their father "Lm" and Irene "Ween."

In Toby's infant eyes, Sarah was his Mother. Just who she thought was his father was beyond her as he had always been reluctant to call Robert Dad.

Reflecting on this, perhaps it made sense why Sarah was apprehensive about returning home. She was afraid things had changed. That he would look at her differently. The one human being that had really mattered to her, who she had risked life and limb for, even if had been hallucinated, would have lost his love for her. Sarah, his deranged step-sister who had been absent for nearly five years. In that time he had only seen her for a few brief visits.

Sarah felt as if she might be sick. With every familiar house they passed Sarah's nausea increased.

Perhaps sensing her unease, or even noticing her ashen pallor in the rearview mirror, Robert attempted to ease the tense atmosphere in the car. "Toby will be excited to see you Sarah. Our nanny Danielle is watching him now. She's fixing dinner and making your favorite dessert, peach cobbler."

Wonderful, Sarah hoped she could force herself to eat and hold it down. The first momentous thing she could do upon returning would be spewing on the dinner table.

The car pulled up in the driveway and her...Dad shouldered her duffle bag. Sarah followed them through the front door. "Toby, kido, we're back."

The house was as pristine as she remembered. A few things had changed, paintings, a new mirror, nothing that held any significance for her at least. Unfamiliar noises and smells were coming from the kitchen. But some of the most prominent noises were coming from the living room.

"Toby, you better get off that XBox right now, I mean it young man!" Irene called out.

There was some shuffling heard, and a bit of grumbling and a boy walked out from around the corner. Sarah swore her heart stopped for a moment. He was beautiful. He had dirty blond locks, and her eye color of hazel green. She took a much needed shaky breathe.

Irene walked over to Toby and bent down to give him a kiss on his head. He gave her a disgusted face and she just chuckled at him while running a hand through his hair. Sarah desperately wanted to do the same. Their words were coming in and out, as was her vision. She dully noted that she must be having some form of anxiety or panic attack. Sarah was making an effort to hold it together, but needed to take her emergency medication as soon as possible if she didn't want to make a fool of herself. They were speaking now, and there was another woman with them. She was pretty with blue green eyes and lengthy brown hair. Sarah noted she might have been taller than her by an inch or two, or maybe it just seemed that way because the room was spinning slightly?

Shaking her head, she realized her Dad had been saying something to her. "Sorry, what?" It came out somewhat normal sounding.

"This is our nanny Danielle."

Sarah managed to successfully exchange pleasantries with the young woman whose name she had already forgotten. "Toby say hello to your sister."

Toby looked her straight in the eye and said, "Hey." Quickly dismissing Sarah, he turned his gaze to Irene, "Can I go back to my game now? I'm online with Brian and he has to go soon."

Irene sighed and nodded. Toby rushed back to the living room soon after and Sarah made her excuses for the restroom. She turned the facet on a washed her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror, realizing her worst fears had come to pass. Toby had been her last connection to the world. Sarah turned on the faucet and shakily opened two different prescribed medications and swallowed a few pills. She sipped water from the faucet to ease their passage down her throat but kept the faucet running. Her eyes squeezed shut and a few tears rolled down her prominent cheek bones. Slowly her eyebrows turned inwards and she scrubbed her face and looked in the mirror. One deep breathe followed another.

_I can do this. Just don't show them you're affected, that you're weak. All I need to do is establish myself as a responsible adult in their eyes and eventually I can move out. That should only take a few years at most._ Sarah groaned and pulled her hair while leaning into the sink. She took a deep breath, washed her face once more and did her best to compose herself.

Walking out of the bathroom, Sarah swore the final pieces of her heart had finally broken beyond repair. And this time, she wasn't going to bother picking up the pieces.

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><p>Dinner was incredibly awkward. Toby may have been in the second grade, but he was proud of his accomplishments and the fact that he was the best in his reading and math groups, respectively. His teacher even complimented on his creative writing skills, not that Toby was especially creative or imaginative. He couldn't afford to be with Irene around and he desperately wanted to keep Sarah this time. If his parents knew, well if they knew him at all, Sarah would never have been allowed to come home. Thus, Toby was able to decipher the tense atmosphere and control for it appropriately. He spoke of his video games, and his friends. Video games were tolerated unlike fairy tales. It was strange how easily his parents accepted him playing violent war games like Battlestations Pacific in comparison to anything resembling fantasy like Final Fantasy. It did score him some major points at school with the older kids since he was allowed to play more mature games, although he hadn't convinced his parents to allow him to buy Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. It was a game that was rated "M," and he was only allowed games rated up to "T." It wasn't like Toby really wanted the games, but it was a way to test the limits of his parents. How far could he go and get his way? Besides, it was one way he could play with all of his friends and even his Dad.<p>

Despite his covert operation of "Diffusing the Situation" at dinner, it was obvious that the affair was tense and conversation strained between the adults in the room. Sarah, he noted, was overly composed. Her face was set in such hard lines that Toby wondered if her skin was permanently stretched that way. He was sure it was acceptable to his parents, who didn't know her as he did, but he could tell. Toby had been told that it would take time to win Sarah back. To really bring her home for good. She had been gone for so long that she would have to learn to trust all over again. How long could that take? Toby was a child, he figured a few days, and maybe a week would be acceptable. Then once phase one of the mission was complete they could proceed to phase two.

"So, tomorrow is Saturday," Robert folded his napkin over his finished dinner. "I know we talked about you starting online GED course and working in the used bookstore on the weekends, but there was also an art class at the local community college I thought you might like. We thought it might be a good idea for you to meet your employer tomorrow so that you feel more comfortable when you start next weekend."

Sarah looked back and forth between her Dad and Irene.

Irene cleared her throat and smiled. "Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien are a lovely older couple who have owned the book store for over 30 years. They're looking forward to having the extra help." She looked over at Robert her eyes encouraging him to continue the conversation.

"Yes, well, we figured that would be a great start. You know, not waste any time getting right into the routine. Best to always stay busy, I say. We've scheduled a meeting with the community college academic counselor since you'll be enrolling there after your GED is finished. We were thinking you could major in history when you go into university later."

"Yes," Irene nodded. "You always were a talented writer and interested in the lives of historical figures. I hear you write a lot as a history major."

Sarah refrained from mentioning that she had nearly failed her U.S. history class and had to do a make-up paper for extra credit. Her history teacher had not been amused with the conjectures Sarah had presented in a few of her papers. Her teacher had only been interested in numbers and dates, whereas Sarah had always been interested in the people that lived through the events. What could have been, or might have happened in the past always fascinated her. Frankly put, they had little tolerance for her fictional surmises.

Toby quietly watched Sarah under the veil of eating his dinner. He watched her smile and nod and finally give a quiet but verbal agreement. Toby internally winced at the smile she gave their parents. He excused himself from the dinner table after given permission by Irene. As he entered the kitchen and placed his dinner plate in the dishwasher he gave a heavy sigh. The refined sound of flapping wings caught his attention from the kitchen window. He looked up and gave the creature a disgruntled face.

"I hate it when you're right," he said to the animal. "Fine, a month or whatever. You win. But I don't care what you say; I'm still talking to her later." Toby grumbled all the way up to his room and slammed the door.

"Toby, don't you slam that door!"

"Sorry Mom!"

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><p>It was late, well after midnight. Sarah stared at her reflection in the mirror. The very same mirror and vanity that had been hers as a girl. It was different now, the clippings of her Mother were obviously long gone and it had been refurnished in a more mature style. She ran her hands over the darker cherry wood finish. It was nice, she supposed. Just different, everything was different. Different, she told herself, was a good thing. Sarah outstretched her fingers and touched the cool glass of the mirror. Her eyes softened as she remembered a time when she was surrounded by fictional friends, or perhaps creatures were a better description.<p>

They had been precious to her. Recalling the memories was almost as difficult as matching the emotions that accompanied them. But they were there. At one time, those figments of her imagination were dear to her, almost as dear as Toby. And Sarah remembered a face; a face that used to plague her dreams with eyes that stared into her very soul promising to rearrange time and space if she would only…

Her hand shot back from the mirror as if burned.

Shakily, Sarah picked up her brush and began to run it through her short hair. She ached for the long silky locks she used to braid as a girl. Sarah arranged the brush on top of the vanity and turned off the lights. Walking over to the bed, she pulled back the covers. The comforter was a sensible color and pattern that matched the rooms decor. It made her throat contract and it was difficult to breathe for a moment. Everything was so different. Different from before, and from the hospital.

Once she laid in bed her toes uncurled and her shoulders sagged into the soft bed. And for once, she was grateful to be in an actual home with people who weren't doctors, or psychologists. No one was screaming in the next room, or stomping down the hallway. There were no sounds outside the door.

And suddenly it was too quiet.

Hesitating she got out of bed and dug through her pack and sighed gratefully finding her small portable radio. She set the station to a nonsensical late night talk show and finally relaxed into her luxurious new bed. This was one comfort she wouldn't take for granted. No matter what happened, Sarah would go to school, to work, get up and repeat until she could do it without wanting to scream. Maybe when she could do that she'd be ready to leave this house and the strangers she was now living with. Her eyes finally closed and her breathing fell into a deep rhythm.

A few hours later Sarah's eyes snapped open. Someone was in her room. Her breathing quickly increased and she tried to keep from panicking. Her eyes squeezed shut and then eased when she heard the soft footsteps. It wasn't a guard coming in to her quarters to discipline her or a nurse checking on her condition. These footsteps were different. They stopped and then determinedly started again. When she realized who was in her room, her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't control her sobs when the small body slipped under the covers and cuddled close. Sarah turned and wrapped her arms around Toby, hugging him to her chest with a ferocity that scared her. It scared her because she didn't want it to be a dream.

"It's okay." Toby whispered as he returned her embrace. "I have to pretend, or they'll send you away again. You can't leave me, Sarah. I need you."

"I need you too Toby." Sarah sighed in relief and understanding.

"I love you, Mom." He murmured into the collar of her shirt.

It was then she finally realized that Toby was her greatest strength. Sarah was a survivor, but knowing that Toby loved and needed her, gave her a greater determination to make this new life work. Maybe there was still hope that they could still be a family.

"I love you." Her eyes burned with a steely determination and her heart clenched painfully in her chest. Yes, this new life was going to work. It had to. She was not going to screw this up.

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><p>A few songs for this chapterstory: "Lights" by Ellie Goulding, Demi Lovato's "Fix A Heart," and Katy Perry's "Part of Me."

Please send me reviews! I would love to hear your thoughts and get input for the future of this story. It will be finished not to worry. This story is on my 30 by 30 list, so it will be completed. Lol I am not sure how long this will be, but expect at least the length of a short novel. I have a general idea where this is going but I am always open to input.

I am still looking for a beta, so please PM me if you are interested.


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